Bilkis Bano case: Supreme Court to hear arguments of convicts today

Bilkis Bano case: Their premature release was challenged by Bano and Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, among others

The Supreme Court (SC) will on Thursday hear the arguments on behalf of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case who were granted remission by the Gujarat government last year.

 

Their premature release was challenged by Bilkis Bano and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra, among others. 

 

At the last hearing on August 17, the apex court observed that the state governments should not be selective in granting remission to convicts and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should be given to every prisoner. 

 

On August 10, in an earlier hearing, Moitra had told the apex court that the gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members were a "crime against humanity". She accused the Gujarat government of having failed to exercise its constitutional mandate of protecting the rights of women and children by granting remission to the 11 convicts in the "horrendous" case.

 

SC had on April 18 questioned the Gujarat government over the remission granted to the 11 convicts, saying the gravity of the offence should have been considered before showing leniency and wondered if there was any application of mind. All of them had walked free on August 15, 2022.

 

Asking for reasons for the premature release of the convicts, the top court had also questioned frequent parole granted to them during their incarceration.

 

"It (remission) is a kind of grace, which should be proportional to the crime," it had said.

 

Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed in the riots.

 

(With agency inputs)